


The Motions

by Zealkin



Category: Gangsta. (Manga)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-03
Updated: 2013-08-03
Packaged: 2017-12-22 06:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/909994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zealkin/pseuds/Zealkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex tries to get over her addiction and the constant nick of too soft sheets, Nicolas helps in the only way he knows how.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Motions

Alex shifted under the covers; the smooth cotton irritated her skin, skin that had become too accustomed to sleeping on the Benriya living room couch. Frustrated she opened her eyes. 

Worick had a lot of eager customers tonight and he had insisted that she would benefit more from his bed than him. She didn’t have the chance to argue as he had left in a hurry. He told her he would be back at eight the next morning.   
She intended to sleep on the couch anyway, but then Nicolas had given her a look, and she had shuffled into the bedroom.  
Right now he was in the basement as per usual, she guessed he was sleeping.  
She sighed, she should’ve been asleep.

She shifted again, and contemplated taking another one of her tranquilizers, the thought made her hands clench. She had taken one right before she crawled underneath Worick’s covers. Taking another one so soon would be a bad idea. 

But she wanted one; she wanted to feel the numb she felt every time she downed the white relief. It anchored her. She wondered if it was anything like what Nicolas felt when he took his…medication.

Her mouth went dry, but she slipped out from beneath the covers and tiptoed downstairs, she didn’t know why she did. He couldn’t hear her footfall but he would know she was there. Ever since she had snuck up on him that one time, he had never let it happen again.  
The basement was dark save a light on in the kitchen.  
Alex turned to the dark side of the room; Nicolas was facing away from her, curled up on the couch.

Letting out a breath she filled a cup with water and took out a single, white, pill.   
She stared at it, as thoughts of Barry, gunshots, and rain began to overwhelm her. Her mind churned out image after image, but one stood out.   
The outline of a bloody but unfazed Nicolas. The result of his drugged up body, how it ignored the pain, ignored the screams, ignored every bit of humanity he had. And she remembered how she had done the same thing, to ignore the pain of a violent customer, or of a violent Barry.  
She gripped the counter, and started to hyperventilate. “Not again.”  
Alex looked around the room; no phantoms of her abuser lay in wait, but she felt him, she felt his lies and cold grip on her throat.   
She couldn’t do it. Alex downed the glass of water before heading back to bed, her thoughts of Barry and her former life fading away with each step.

The covers were still too smooth when she lay down again.   
She heard footsteps but didn’t bother turning to the door.  
Nicolas entered and shut the door quietly, before sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed.   
Alex didn’t doubt that he knew what she had tried to do, but his presence was comforting, unassuming; and before she could worry about the sheets again she had fallen asleep.  
_____  
Alex woke up well-rested and stretched silently before looking to the foot of the bed where Nicholas had been. She chastised herself silently for wanting him to be there in the morning. She got up and got ready for the day, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

Nicolas was already in the main room when she entered, she kept her eyes down embarrassed by last night.  
“One step at a time.”  
She looked up; he motioned it to her in sign this time “One step at a time”.  
She smiled. “Thank you” she motioned back. He nodded and headed out the door.

She sat at her desk and let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding in. Yes, she thought, one step at a time.


End file.
